LEXINGTON, Ky. – The Earlham College softball team fell in the opening round of the HCAC Softball Tournament to Mount St. Joseph University 5-4 on Thursday afternoon. 

Morgan Cooksey threw 5.1 innings in the circle, with three earned runs on seven hits. The freshman scored one strikeout. Tatum Rickert recorded the final two outs with two batters faced in the sixth inning. 

Cooksey also hit a double, and Kymara Kennedy scored the run as a pinch runner. Ashley Lewis recorded one hit and one RBI as the leadoff batter. Bella Schatko went 1-for-3 with two runs scored. 

After a leadoff triple by the Lions in the first inning, MSJ scored on an infield popout. 

Schatko began the third inning with a leadoff hit through the right side, and advanced to second on a wild pitch. With the bases loaded, Faith Butler earned a walk for an RBI and the first run for EC. 

Lewis then put Earlham on top in the fourth with an RBI single up the middle for another run scored by Schatko. The Lions responded with an unearned run in the bottom of the frame. 

Emmerie Stump got in on the offense in the top of the fifth inning with an RBI-single to score Kennedy. 

Trailing 3-2, Mount St. Joseph scored three runs on three hits and an error in the bottom of the sixth inning. 

Earlham will continue play in the secondary bracket tomorrow at 10:10 am against Defiance College.